Little Man
by WalkingDictionary
Summary: "Stay here with me and I promise she can go." The Concubine knows what the Prince wants, and she knows how to manipulate him. Prince of Persia: 2008. Prince x Concubine.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing save a copy of the game and the idea of the story.**

**A/N: As I played the game, the Concubine was my favorite villain for the simple reason that she seemed enamored with the Prince if only because Elika liked him. Her comments to him and always calling him "Little Man" sparked an idea that would not die. Hopefully, it is intriguing for more people than me.**

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><p>"Stay here with me and I promise she can go."<p>

The Concubine raises her hand, points a long, corrupted finger at the Prince. He stares at her. She seriously thinks she can make him stay? He turns to Elika. She raises an eyebrow but otherwise remains still.

"Well?" the Concubine teleports in front of the Prince. The energy leaking from her eyes flares. "Shall I throw her off the building?" She floats backward until she hovers next to Elika. Silly witch does nothing as the Concubine summons ropes of corruption to lift her into the air. The Concubine knows what the Prince wants, and she knows how to manipulate him.

"Wait," he calls, stepping forward, hand settling onto the hilt of his scimitar. "Don't hurt her."

"What have you to give for her?"

"I have…my soul." He holds his hands out to the Concubine, pleading with his eyes. Her tail whips against Elika, and the young woman is thrown from the platform. "Elika!" The Prince runs to the edge, prepared to slide down the building to catch the falling princess, but the Concubine's tail wraps around him, holding him still.

"Your soul," she hisses, raising her hands. Elika is lifted onto the platform, borne on a bed of corruption. "When she awakens, she will be free."

The Prince shakes his head. "No, I must see her off before I surrender to you." He stares into her eyes, feeling the beginnings of cramps as residue from her tail soaks into his exposed skin. "I swear on my life that I will not run from you, but you have to let her go."

The Concubine throws her head back and cackles like the old witch he knows she is. "Very well, Little Man." She levitates, carrying Elika on the corruption and him in her tail. He swallows the fear rising in his throat. She will have to set Elika free. Her eyes burn with the same intensity for him as he feels in his heart for the princess. If she truly wants to keep him by her side, she will need to honor their arrangement.

Elika wakes almost as soon as she is set upon the healed grass in front of the destroyed gate. She watches silently as the Concubine leans over the Prince, a string of corruption flowing from her lips. Neither one makes a sound as he opens his mouth and accepts the kiss. It feels like a moment of forever before the Prince is able to free himself. He falls to his knees, coughing and wheezing at the lack of oxygen. He glances up at Elika through his thick hair, aware that his vision is already becoming affected by the corruption. Her face is impassive, unreadable. He knows she has condemned him for being as weak as her father. Then the pain sets in as the corruption pumps through his body, tainting him. He cries out, his voice small and weak as agonizing needles rip through his veins.

"Elika!" he yells, eyes squeezed shut as the sensation of falling into a darkness so complete he cannot see anything else rises in him. "Elika!" he begs.

The only response he receives is the cold laughter of the Concubine. Her tail tightens around his waist, hoisting him with her.

"She is free," she sings. Even though he would have it no other way were the outcome always her death, the Prince cannot find happiness in saving Elika's life. His own is forfeit, and he will become another of Ahriman's soldiers, killing for the sake of fun or withering away until he is nothing more than a pile of black ooze as easy to manipulate as the Concubine has done with his emotions and body.

"Yes," he responds, feet settling onto the stone of the highest tower. "So am I." He takes his scimitar and plunges it into his breast, piercing his heart. Death comes quickly, but the Concubine only laughs. Within moments, he is revived, and no matter how many times he throws himself off the building or stabs himself, he returns to the Concubine, bound by a soul he thought he had lost, bound by the burning corruption she breeds within him.

"My Little Man," she coos. "My Prince."

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><p><strong>AN: I apologize for any mistakes. Please let me know if something bothers you.**


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